Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Fusing hardcore punk and heavy metal into a furiously thrashing hybrid, Seattle's the Accused invariably described to their style as "splattercore," a reference to their chief lyrical inspirations -- horror films and comic-book violence. It was a far cry from the political leanings of vocalist/bandleader Blaine Cook's previous band, the Fartz, but it gave them a definite crossover appeal among both punk and metal audiences. With their roots in hardcore, the Accused presaged the rise of the Seattle scene, but never fit into the grunge movement that sprang up around them. Some of their key personnel went on to join the grunge-metal band Gruntruck, but in their own lifespan, the Accused were a different enough beast that they weren't able to capitalize on all the attention afforded the Northwest underground.The Accused were formed in Seattle in 1981, originally consisting of vocalist John Dahlin, guitarist Tom Niemeyer, bassist Chibon "Chewy" Batterman, and drummer Dana Collins. Their first release was a split LP with the Rejectors, at which point they were playing straight-ahead hardcore. However, the other members' taste for metal pushed Dahlin out of the band in 1984, and his place was taken by ex-Fartz vocalist Blaine Cook (reverting to his real name after billing himself as Blaine Fart). Powered by Cook's demented vocals, the band issued its limited-edition debut EP, Martha Splatterhead (named after their monstrous new mascot), on the small Condor Records label.Continuing to hone their sound through touring, the Accused finally completed their first full-length LP in 1986; issued on Subcore Records, The Return of Martha Splatterhead established their hyperspeed approach and earned them a deal with the thrash label Combat.